Big-hearted Princess Eugenie did the kindest thing for this royal photographer’s granddaughter

By Suzanne Wintrob

October 11, 2018

Princess
Eugenie
often takes to the world stage to put her heart into her
most cherished causes, from mental health awareness to youth empowerment. But
behind closed doors, her heart of gold shines just as bright. Royal
photographer
Arthur Edwards, who has
been snapping the family for more than four decades, opened up to
HELLO! about the special bond his
granddaughter has with the bride-to-be and the kind-hearted gesture that
Eugenie showed her when she needed it most.

The 28-year-old has made no secret of her struggle with
scoliosis, a medical condition that causes a curvature in the spine – and even
invited
the doctor
who performed her life-changing spinal surgery
to her wedding. And when Arthur’s granddaughter Katie had surgery for the same
condition, he reached out to the only person he knew could help. “I asked if
she’d talk to Katie about it and she did. We spent an hour at a hotel and she
was magnificent with Katie, who was only 13 at the time and incredibly scared,”
he explained.

But the princess’s kindness didn’t end there. “When Katie
went to the hospital and checked into her room, it was all full of balloons
from Eugenie and it put her mind at ease. As they left and said goodbye to each
other, Eugenie gave Katie her private number and said, ‘Anytime you want to
know anything, you just ask me. You call me up and I’ll tell you if you don’t
want your parents to be listening.’ For me, that was everything.” Arthur was
doubly impressed that when he mentioned Eugenie’s kindness to her father,
Prince Andrew, he knew nothing about it.

The seasoned 78-year-old, who has photographed seven
royal weddings, is hoping to be there on the princess’s big day, when she says
“I do” to
Jack
Brooksbank
on Oct. 12 at St. George’s Chapel. And above
all, he thinks Eugenie is “a fabulous kid” and he can’t wait to see her walk
down the aisle. “I just hope she has a really beautiful day,” he says. And while
it’s promising to be a show-stopping two-day celebration, Arthur said there has
been a bit of controversy in the public – but at the end of the day, it’s not
worth quarreling about.

“There’s been a bit of a row around here about a
two-million-pound police bill. Well, Eugenie is a granddaughter of the Queen as
Harry is a grandson of the Queen,” he explained. “The Queen sees no difference
in the pair of them. It’s her chapel, St. George’s Chapel, it’s her castle,
Windsor Castle, and it’s her carriages. So if she wants to lay it on for her
granddaughter, I’m not one to complain. I think it’s a great thing.”

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